Spending Christmas Away from Family - Here's What Happened
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
I said this is the first time in 2 and 1/2 years that I am homesick and I feel really homesick this year.
there's a cost to it. And this is one of them.
We felt really good about it because no one guilted us, no one questioned it.
It was sweet. There were lots of creatures stirring. It was very sweet.
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“But what about your family?” It’s the number one question we get as full-time travelers — and this Christmas, it finally hit us in a way it hasn’t before. After more than two and a half years of full-time travel, we unexpectedly felt homesick. Real homesick. Along with that came grief… and even a little guilt — especially thinking about our parents, who are no longer with us, and reflecting on how we handled holidays and time together when they were here. Being away from family at Christmas isn’t something people talk about honestly very often — especially in the travel world, where everything looks shiny and carefree. But this video is about what really happens emotionally when you choose a different life… and the complicated feelings that can surface during the holidays. And then something surprising happened. A magical, almost Hallmark-movie-level Christmas Eve and Christmas Day experience onboard a cruise ship completely shifted our perspective. What started as a tender, heavy moment turned into something unexpectedly sweet and FUNNY, considering the reality we all experience as parents. In this video, we talk about: • Why “What about your family?” is such a loaded question • Feeling homesick for the first time in years • Grief and guilt around parents who’ve passed • How Christmas away from home can still be meaningful • And how a shared holiday experience with strangers can lift your spirit in ways you don’t expect If you’re a full-time traveler, expat, cruiser, or someone spending holidays away from family — or if you’ve ever wrestled with grief, nostalgia, or complicated emotions around Christmas — this one’s for you. ❤️ 👉 We’d love to hear from you: Have you ever spent Christmas away from family? Did it feel harder than you expected — or did it surprise you in a good way? Let us know in the comments. We read every single one. **note: We realized after taping that our 2nd granddaughter wasn't born until February of 2025, after last Christmas to which we referred. The older one was almost 15 months old. Ooops! Memory fail. ⸻ 🔗 Taste Life With Us – Connect With Us ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TasteLifeWithUs 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tastelifewithus 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TasteLifeWithUs ☕ Support the Channel (optional): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tastelifewithus 🚢 Also Follow Our Cruise Channel – Cruise Through Retirement If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about travel, life transitions, and what retirement really looks like on the move, be sure to follow our sister channel: ▶️ Cruise Through Retirement (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@CruiseThroughRetirement 📸 Cruise Through Retirement (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/CruiseThroughRetirement 📘 Cruise Through Retirement (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/CruiseThroughRetirement On Cruise Through Retirement, we share: • Life at sea & extended cruising • Retirement travel realities (the good and the hard parts) • Ship tours and reviews, ways to save money cruising, and more! #TasteLifeWithUs #FullTimeTravel #NomadLife #RetirementTravel #ChristmasAwayFromHome #HolidayReflections #GriefAndHealing #LifeAtSea #SlowTravel #TravelStories #digitalnomadlife #nomadreality #CruiseLife